Twitch is facing backlash for their inconsistent bans.
Twitch streamer Fedmyster gets suspended from the site but blames it on Alinity’s NSFW mistake.
Alinity was banned from the site last month after an accidental nip slip while playing Just Dance.
Some have suggested that this shows that Twitch’s new nudity policy isn’t working.
Fans of Twitch streamer Fedmyster were shocked this week when he tweeted that he’d been suspended from the site. His Fedmyster2 account, a secondary account to his main Fedmyster, was suspended for three days for “sharing content featuring nudity.”
The streamer said that the ban was because he’d been on Twitter when someone posted a photo of Alinity’s bare nipples from her NSFW accident last week.
Fedmyster’s Ban Sparks Outrage
Fans were furious about the ban and began to tweet the Twitch Support account, asking for the site to review it. Many didn’t understand why Fedmyster had been suspended for longer than Alinity.
This story has a positive turn as just hours later, Fedmyster confirmed that Twitch had reversed its decision. “Twitch has gone ahead and unbanned me,” tweeted the streamer, and this allowed him to stream from all of his accounts again.
While some fans were unhappy with how Twitch reacted, it does show that their new nudity policy is working. The policy will look at things closely, not just banning anyone for showing the smallest bit of skin. The quick reversal of Fedmyster’s ban means that while Twitch may not always get it right, it’s getting much better at fixing things.
The latest TikTok challenge encourages users to pee in their pants — and its creator said he started it as ‘a parody’ to show that social media trends are ‘pointless’
TikTok users are peeing in their pants for the aptly named “pee your pants challenge.”
A new TikTok trend involves one thing and one thing: Peeing in your pants.
The “pee your pants challenge” started with an April 21 video from Liam Weyer. Videos of the challenge purport to demonstrate people actually urinating on themselves.
The hashtag used for the challenge has 1.9 million views as of Friday morning.
“I am definitely surprised that the challenge actually became a trend. I created the challenge as a parody of the other challenges that have gone viral on the internet in an attempt to show how pointless they are,” Weyer told Insider.
One recent trend, the “pee your pants challenge,” is certainly low on effort — though it may take some extra post-production cleanup.
Videos of the challenge do demonstrate people actually urinating on themselves.
Step one: Film yourself in front of the mirror saying “pee your pants challenge.” Step two: Pee your pants.
The challenge began with an April 21 post by Liam Weyer. The hashtag he started has 1.9 million views as of Friday morning, and dozens of other videos recreating the challenge (and reacting to it).
TikTok users also used the hashtag to mock or parody the trend itself, either pretending they were unable to pee or just appearing horrified at the challenge altogether.
Weyer, the creator of the challenge, is a 19-year-old filmmaker and comedian from Kansas who hopes to write for TV one day. While others were quick to both copy and poke fun at his challenge, he said he created it as a parody to begin with.
“I am definitely surprised that the challenge actually became a trend. I created the challenge as a parody of the other challenges that have gone viral on the internet in an attempt to show how pointless they are,” Weyer, who also creates sketch comedy videos, told Insider in an email. “I am surprised to see that people on the internet will pee themselves if you call it a challenge and add a hashtag.”
While the challenge may be disturbing to some, it’s at least not outright dangerous like the nutmeg challenge, which encourages creators to consume highly toxic levels of the spice.
The letter said Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube had amplified “Icke’s racism and misinformation about Covid-19 to millions of people”.
It was co-signed by MP Damian Collins, as well as celebrity medics Dr Christian Jessen, Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Pixie McKenna.
The CCDH said videos of Mr Icke making “untrue and conspiracist claims about Covid-19” had been watched more than 30 million times online.
As examples, it cited:
a YouTube interview in which Mr Icke falsely claimed that a Jewish group was behind coronavirus
an Instagram post in which he falsely claimed 5G mobile networks left people unable to absorb oxygen
a YouTube video in which he falsely claimed it was not possible to catch a virus from shaking hands
a Twitter post in which he falsely claimed Germany was moving to “legalise rape” for Muslim men
The letter was published after Facebook had removed Mr Icke’s page.
In April, YouTube removed an interview with Mr Icke in which he said there “is a link between 5G and this health crisis”.
When asked for his reaction to reports of 5G masts being set on fire in England and Northern Ireland, he responded: “If 5G continues and reaches where they want to take it, human life as we know it is over… so people have to make a decision.”
Facebook later removed the same video saying it broke its rules on misinformation.
By Marianna Spring, Specialist disinformation and social media reporter
David Icke has promoted several conspiracy theories on social media throughout the pandemic – and has consequently found himself in hot water with social media sites and broadcasting regulators.
The health misinformation that he’s been spreading, including linking 5G to coronavirus, has played a role in platforms like YouTube tightening their policies about conspiracy theories.
This is a difficult area for social media sites to tackle.
Medical myths and speculation that could cause harm are easier to act on, while conspiracy theories occupy a grey area where companies risk accusations of censorship if they take action.
But the setting alight of mobile phone towers and abuse of telecommunications workers linked to this 5G coronavirus conspiracy has pushed sites like Twitter and TikTok to tighten their rules.
Facebook has also recognised that the conspiracy theories repeatedly promoted by Icke fall into their bracket of harmful misinformation. This isn’t the first time it has removed content from him – but the platform has gone one step further in taking down his page.
Governments and social media sites alike grapple with the fine balance between stemming harmful narratives and allowing freedom of expression. But experts point out that they can do both with effective moderation and collaboration.
Elon Musk is having a moment, perhaps because his girlfriend Grimes is about to have their baby — or perhaps because he can’t stand the coronavirus lockdown.
The SpaceX and Tesla founder’s critics say he has become increasingly unhinged on Twitter over the last week, while railing against the stay-at-home order that has snarled much of his work in the state of California.
Musk has been bidding “bon voyage” to his more than 33 million followers, casting doubt on the threat of COVID-19 and tweeting “FREE AMERICA NOW” in a bizarre string of posts over the last few days.
He took things even further on Friday, when he seemingly woke up and launched into full-fledged meltdown mode. Musk rattled off several tweets quoting from The Star Spangled Banner, claimed that Tesla stock was “too high” in his opinion, then vowed to sell “almost all” of his physical possessions, declaring that he “will own no house.”“Don’t need the cash,” he said in response to one user. “Devoting myself to Mars and Earth. Possession[s] just weigh you down.”
Musk added that his girlfriend, the Canadian singer known as Grimes, is “mad” at him in a follow-up tweet about the house. He then responded to questions about the upcoming birth of their first child together.
“This is the best news I’ve heard so far. This means you’re still together, despite speculation to the contrary,” one user wrote in response to Musk’s tweet about Grimes.
“Baby due on Monday,” Musk replied.
Musk added one condition to selling his house, which apparently once belonged to actor Gene Wilder.“It cannot be torn down or lose any [of] its soul,” he wrote.
Although Twitter appears to be Musk’s favourite way to vent his frustrations right now, he also let loose during a Tesla earnings call on Wednesday.
“Forcibly imprisoning people in their homes is against all their constitutional rights,” he said on the call. “People should be outraged.”
Tesla was forced to close its plant on March 23 under a sweeping lockdown order in the San Francisco Bay area. It’s unclear when the order will end and Tesla will be allowed to re-open.
Tesla shares plunged by 10 per cent after Musk commented on their value Friday. The company lost about $14 billion in value and Musk’s stake dropped by $3 billion, BBC reports.
Some of Musk’s fans rallied to his defence on Twitter while observers cracked jokes about his apparent bout of self-sabotage.
THIS week, the actor Chris Hemsworth was photographed with his agreeable-looking child, in the sunshine, outside their beachfront home in the exclusive Australian surfing resort of Byron Bay.
And I guess everyone thought when they saw the picture: “Well, lockdown’s working pretty well for him.”
Chris Hemsworth takes a break from self isolation and heads to the beach with one of his twin sonsCredit: Splash News
Yeah, and it can’t be too bad either for Mrs Hemsworth. Living by the sea, in paradise, with a triangular- torsoed Hollywood hunk.
But then if you take a glance at your social media, you’ll notice that absolutely everyone else is living the Hemsworth dream.
It’s an endless parade of people’s perfect sourdough baking and of jolly board games with the kids.
This morning, my Instagram feed featured a young family doing a fancy dress dinner, a girl on an enormous horse, a woman sprawled on the bonnet of a Mercedes SL, a man with a cute dog, doing exercises, and a shot of some cows taken through a wisteria bush.
On Instagram, no one is ever bored, it never rains and everyone’s breasts are perfect. Especially Chris Hemsworth’s.
FAT WIFE SLOBBING OUT
This is having an effect on the nation’s teenagers. They have been told there will be no exams this year and that all their school work was for nothing. They’ve been told they have to stay indoors and that they can’t see their friends.
And it’s driving them mad because they do not read newspapers. They do not listen to the BBC news. And they replaced Radio 1 with Spotify five years ago.
This means they never hear any actual news. So they don’t know what’s going on.
Instead they look at their phones (constantly) and all they can see are pretty girls with swimsuits up their a*** cheeks, and Chris Hemsworth, and parents who have turned the cellar into a nightclub and lots of cute ducklings.
And they’re thinking, as they watch the rain trickle down the windows at their house: “Why can’t I have some of that?”
Chris Hemsworth’s wife Elsa Pataky shows off her incredible figure in a sun-kissed shoot
In the olden days we’d have smacked their bottoms and told them to stop being spoiled, but that’s not allowed any more. So I’ve come up with another idea . . .
If you are an old person stuck in a tower block, waiting for Covid-19 to stick its warty little head through the letterbox, post a picture of your surroundings on Instagram. Don’t hold back. Show us the overflowing cat litter and the photograph of your husband, alone in his hospital bed.
Show us also pictures of your sister who is in a care home and hasn’t had a visitor for five weeks.
And your food cupboard which has nothing in it any more. And your empty bottle of Senokot.
REALITY OF LOCKDOWN
In fact, we should all get in on the act. Don’t wait for a joyous moment to photograph and share. Send us instead pictures of stuff you didn’t enjoy.
The particularly gruesome bit of wax you’ve just pulled out of your left ear. The turd your dog just did on the mat. Your fat other half slobbing out in front of the TV.
Your kids throwing Monopoly pieces at one another after a row over Fenchurch Street station.
Instead of sharing your perfect loaf, send pictures of the charred wreck that went wrong, the scarf full of dropped stitches, the wonky self-assembly garden furniture that broke the first time you sat on it.
Hit us with the reality of lockdown. Admit that it’s one part happiness and nine parts ditch water.
And then maybe teenagers will start to understand that life is bookended by the lucky and the not so lucky. At one end you’ve got the Hemsworths. At the other you’ve got a frightened old man in a tenement block in Bermondsey.
Maybe then they will understand they are somewhere in the middle, and stop bloody complaining.
Cocoa-vid-19
There is much debate about what increases your chances of dying from Covid-19. But there’s one thing everyone agrees on. It likes to kill fatties most of all. And how have we responded to this?
Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut chocolate is getting Brits through lockdown
Well, I don’t know about you but I’ve addressed the issue by sitting on a sofa for six hours a day, eating slabs of Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut chocolate and getting up only to go to the fridge for another bottle of wine.
I guess I’m working on the principle that soon I’ll be so fat, there won’t be room in the house for me and the virus as well.
But there is one problem.
There are now so many empty bottles sitting by the bins at the bottom of the drive I just know my neighbours will assume I’ve been throwing illegal parties, and call the police.
Tube boob
A nurse made headlines this week after moaning about the cramped conditions on a London Tube train at 5.45am.
She said she was risking her life at work and pointed out that she shouldn’t have to risk it even more while commuting. Fair point, you might think. But hang on.
Commuting on a cramped Tube is dangerous during this pandemicCredit: Alamy
In the olden days – before March – people may well have been on a Tube train at that time because they were coming home from a club.
But these days, nobody on a Tube train at quarter to six in the morning is there for fun. They’re ALL going to work.
There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s what most of us have been told to do all along. But I do agree that commuting on a cramped Tube is bloody dangerous.
So I ask once again for parking restrictions to be lifted immediately, as this would allow people to go to work in the blissful self-isolation of their own cars.
Portsmouth from above
An aerial photograph of Portsmouth taken this week showed that the colour of the sea has turned from the usual mud brown to a shimmering, aquamarine blue.
It’s the sort of colour you usually associate with the Caribbean, and it is genuinely amazing.
Incredible photographs captured by drone in Portsmouth, Hants, show the sea now looking almost tropicalCredit: Solent News
Naturally, green people are saying it happened because the lockdown means less traffic. And they may be right.
Or, let me just lob this one in . . . it happened because the photographer was experimenting with some of the filters on his new phone.
My phone’s got so many that if you gave me long enough, I could take a selfie and make me look like Chris Hemsworth. Or his wife.
Shell shock
For the past couple of years, farmers have not been allowed to spray their bright yellow oil seed rape with insecticides called neonicotinoids.
As a result, a lot of my crop is dead.
Enjoy nature while in lockdown and look out for tortoiseshell butterflies in the gardenCredit: Iain H Leach
But on the upside, I’m now seeing more bumble bees than I have in years. And yesterday I saw a tortoiseshell butterfly, the first I’ve found since about 1972.
But that said, my eyesight is so bad these days, it could have been an actual tortoise.
Sexy Instagram star who earns $100K A MONTH reveals how a devastating break-up pushed her to quit her $12-an-hour job at the mall and pursue her lucrative dream of modeling
Jessica Sunok, 22, from Raleigh, North Carolina, boasts more than 577,000 followers on Instagram, and earns hundreds of thousands from paid-for posts
She also works as a professional model, and predicts that she will have earned upwards of $1 million this year
Before her break-up, Jessica was working as a sales manager at a local mall
After ending her relationship with her boyfriend of seven years, she decided to try her hand at modeling full-time
She began working as a model at a local car show, and also ramped up the amount and quality of content she was posting on Instagram
An influencer who earns more than $100,000 a month has revealed how a bad break-up motivated her to quit her 9-5 job and become an Instagram model – a lucrative career change that has seen her amass a legion of followers.
Jessica Sunok, 22, from Raleigh, North Carolina, boasts over 577,000 followers on her Instagram page @jessicasunok where she posts sizzling pictures of her curvaceous body in skin-tight lingerie and racy bikinis.
Before turning her attention to Instagram, Jessica was scraping by to make ends meet while working as a sales manager for kiosks at a shopping mall, making just $12-an-hour – however, one thing changed it all.
Jessica was heartbroken after breaking up with her ‘on and off’ boyfriend in 2016. But rather than dwell on her heartache, she chose to channel all of her energy into modeling, in an attempt to distract herself.
The online model started her Instagram page in 2012 and always had a passion for modeling but until her break-up, she had never thought about making a career out of it.
But when she finally decided to give modeling a go full-time, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly, starting out at a local car show near her home. There, she met the owner, and soon began working as a show girl and took part in several bikini contests, and her photoshoots were soon published in magazines.
Over the next few years, Jessica’s Instagram following skyrocketed and she finally had the courage to leave her sales job to work as a full-time Instagram model.
She now makes over $100,000-a-month and expects to earn over $1 million this year from brand sponsorships and modeling work.
Jessica said: ‘I was a hairdresser specializing in hair extensions. I also worked in the mall as a sales manager for multiple kiosks. I made roughly $12-$15 an hour.
‘I loved my job for the passion of seeing how happy and beautiful I could make women feel! I didn’t like how rude sometimes pedestrians in the mall can be to sales reps.
‘I started modeling when I broke up with my boyfriend of seven years, it was my way of distracting myself and put all my energy into myself. It took a lot of time and investing to get to where I am, I wouldn’t change a thing. ‘
Jessica now receives over 50 marriage proposals a week from her adoring fans – and one even sent the model $600 into her bank account just to get her attention.
She said: ‘My favorite comments are when I get complimented on my personality and I’m asked to speak more! I love how my fans can see the real me through just an image! It makes my heart swell.
‘I probably get an average of 50 marriage proposals a week I believe.’
‘I once had a follower send me $600 to get his attention, I definitely saw that transaction!’
The 22-year-old calls herself a devout Christian but said her pictures do not define her relationship with God.
She said: ‘I had struggled my entire life with my faith in God, I went through some pretty traumatic experiences as a child and adult that made me question a loving “God”.
‘I believe tests are not made to be easy and we wouldn’t be put through anything we weren’t made to handle.
‘There is good energy and bad energy, you have to train your mind to see all your blessing. Then your life will become gold! Angels speak to us every day.
‘I recently was baptized for the first time, it was a huge moment for god and me.
‘I wanted to share it with everyone regardless of their own opinions.
‘My relationship with God is between us. I wanted to share that life-changing moment with my fans, hoping it might reach someone who needs hope and love as well.
‘The Bible teaches forgiveness, we all need this.’
Amazon.com Inc.’s (AMZN) stock was trading lower on May 1, by roughly 8% after reporting better than expected revenue, but missing earnings estimates. Additionally, the company issued revenue guidance that was in line with forecasts but warned rising costs would suppress operating income. Expectations of these rising costs may have already been getting built into the stock in recent weeks, with the technical chart flashing bearish warning signs.
The company has never been one to shy away from spending a lot to build for the future. Amazon has been able to successfully do this in recent years, helped by the explosive growth from Amazon’s web services (AWS). However, it also means that earnings estimates for the stock will need to fall.
Technical Warnings Signs Emerge
Even when heading into results, the stock saw a substantial region of selling around the $2,440 level. Since the middle of April, the stock was battling to rise at that price level and failed despite multiple attempts. It suggests that there is a great deal of selling pressure that resides at that level. Since reporting results, it seems the sellers have moved lower, and if the stock break support at $2,285, it could result in the shares falling to around $2,090, a decline of about 9% from its price of $2,290 on May 1.
But more concerning is that the stock is forming a bearish divergence noted by the lower highs in the relative strength index, as the equity was making record highs. It would suggest that momentum in Amazon is now shifting from bullish to bearish and that shares could have even further to fall then the initial 9%.
Fundamentals Shift
The technical trends appear to reflect the changes in the fundamental story. In recent years the stock had been viewed as a revenue growth story. However, as earnings have climbed, the investment thesis shifted from revenue growth to earnings growth. But investors might need to revisit this thesis over the short-term as earnings estimates fall and valuation rises. It will put more focus on the company’s ability to grow its revenue fast enough to satisfy investors’ demands.
Analysts now see the company earning $24.45 per share in 2020, which is down from $27.38 on April 30. Meanwhile, earnings estimates for 2021 have declined to $38.23 per share from $39.16 per share. It leaves the stock trading for a one-year forward PE ratio of 58.6. This sounds high, but when adjusting for earnings growth in 2021 of 56.4%, it seems fairly reasonable. However, one must consider that earnings estimates may continue to decline, and that likely means that future growth rates contract and the PE ratios may rise.
AWS Drive Growth
The company reported revenue of $75.45 billion, which was about 1.8% higher than estimates for $74.15 billion. Meanwhile, earnings came in at $5.01 per share and missed estimates by about 19.8%. The company did see robust growth out of its AWS business unit, which rose by almost 33% to $10.2 billion while providing operating income of $3.075 billion. The AWS unit’s operating income accounted for nearly all of Amazon’s total operating income of $3.9 billion.
With the company back in spending mode, investors will need to recalibrate their expectations once again. It means refocusing emphasis on earnings growth to revenue growth and that a specific group of investors may decide to move on, rather than participate in a period of renewed spending.
Mott Capital Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future
Coronavirus continues to reshape everything that is familiar to us. This morning I learned that Atlanta’s iconic Peachtree Road Race has been moved to Thanksgiving Day because of COVID-19. Atlantans (native or transplants) know that the Peachtree Road Race, since 1970, is as synonymous with the 4th of July as fireworks. The road race joins another iconic sporting event, The Masters golf tournament, in moving to November because of the historic pandemic. As you can imagine, the weather is quite different in Atlanta during late November. Here is how the weather will be different?
The Peachtree Road Race is considered to be world’s largest 10-kilometer race. According to sources, approximately 60,000 runners participated in 2019. The race is very much a sports competition, but it has also become an annual summer ritual for amateur and professional runners. Every year I see friends proudly posting their registration credentials for a coveted spot in the race. The Atlanta Track Club posted the following message on its website this week: “Consistent with guidance we will receive from health experts in the fall, the 51st Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will take place on November 26, 2020.”
Terri Smith is a long-time meteorologist with The Weather Channel. Her post on social media sums up my initial thoughts as well, “Is it really the Peachtree without heat and humidity: Average low July 4th: 71.1 deg Average low Nov 26th: 41.2 deg.” Smith received the temperature data from Weather Channel colleague Jessica Arnoldy. The start times for the race are typically in waves ranging from about 6:25 am to 8:40 am according to WABE. Though the summer solstice (in June) represents the peak in receipt of energy from the sun, July is often the hottest month in Atlanta. The day before the 2019 race, CBS 46 Atlanta Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Valdez tweeted the forecast below and cautioned that it was going to be one of the hottest starts to the race on record. With humidity, temperatures felt like the low to mid eighties during the race.
Terri Smith is a long-time meteorologist with The Weather Channel. Her post on social media sums up my initial thoughts as well, “Is it really the Peachtree without heat and humidity: Average low July 4th: 71.1 deg Average low Nov 26th: 41.2 deg.” Smith received the temperature data from Weather Channel colleague Jessica Arnoldy. The start times for the race are typically in waves ranging from about 6:25 am to 8:40 am according to WABE. Though the summer solstice (in June) represents the peak in receipt of energy from the sun, July is often the hottest month in Atlanta. The day before the 2019 race, CBS 46 Atlanta Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Valdez tweeted the forecast below and cautioned that it was going to be one of the hottest starts to the race on record. With humidity, temperatures felt like the low to mid eighties during the race.
Weather conditions affect performance so it will be interesting to see how running times from the Thanksgiving race compare to previous years. Here are some ways, according to the Active.com website, that weather affects running performance:
Temperature: running pace is adversely affected as temperatures increase. The website notes that an increase in temperature from 60 degrees F to 80 degrees F can increase a mile pace by 12 to 15%.
Humidity: higher humidity increases heart rate significantly, and hydration is even more critical.
Family friend Tasha Allen is the Director of Accounting and Human Resources at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. She has run the Peachtree Road Race and told me, “The heat was always a problem for me….since I am not a real runner I would never receive an early wave time making my start time closer to 8am, and it’s usually 80-85 degrees by then.” At such a late start time, the temperatures are approaching or exceeding 90 degrees F by the end of the race for some runners. Allen went on to say, “Having the race on Thanksgiving hopefully will eliminate the heat issue. BUT this is Georgia and we could still have an unusual hot day on Thanksgiving (smile).”
I will put on my “meteorologist and Director of University of Georgia Atmospheric Sciences program” hat and point out an additional weather factor that Thanksgiving introduces, a somewhat greater possibility of rainfall than in July. November is a weather transition period for the state of Georgia. The jet stream is starting to return to the region and frontal systems are more active. During July, frontal activity is minimal, and the main threat of rainfall is from pop-up afternoon storms.
